EFT - Tapping

Emotional Freedom Techniques

EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques(AKA "Tapping")

"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."- Gary Craig, Founder of EFT

Having studied nutrition and natural health, I am completely aware of the importance of the food choices that we make daily and the impact they can and often do have on our health.Yet it isn’t always enough. We need the ‘whole package’ so to speak: good nutrition, regular exercise and above all, a peaceful and quiet mind.

I am an AAMET accredited Advanced EFT Practitioner and trained in London with EFT Masters Sue Beer and Emma Roberts and later on did my advanced training with EFT Master Trainer of Trainers Sejual Shah. The Association for the Advancement of Meridian Techniques (AAMET) is the largest professional EFT association in the world. All EFT Practitioners and Trainers registered with the AAMET have had their qualifications validated and have signed up to mandatory CPD & Supervision, and to the AAMET Code of Conduct and Ethics. ​

We are what we eat, drink & think

We really are what we eat, drink and think, but with our busy lives and hectic schedules, all too often we don’t even consider the role that our thoughts and emotions play in our health, happiness, success and life in general. Yet these 'programs' can be running in the background, constantly sabotaging our efforts and hindering our hopes and dreams.

This is where EFT can come in handy

It can truly make the difference between surviving and thriving. It is beautiful how such a simple tool can work in such a delicate way, clearing away even the darkest emotional clouds that obscure our natural sparkle.

​What is EFT?

EFT is a holistic, body/mind form of psychological acupressure that combines the wisdom of ancient healing practices from the East and Western psychotherapy. EFT is also known as “tapping” because the technique involves tapping gently on parts of the face and body. EFT is a non-invasive tool that can be used by anyone. It can be learnt and practiced alone, or with a qualified EFT Practitioner.​It is a simple, pain-free technique that can be learnt by anyone of nearly any age. Even children can learn the simple Tapping Sequences, in fact they can find it fun! Once you get past the 'weirdness' of tapping on your face while speaking your feelings, you can consider it just part of your daily routine.

​EFT works by tapping gently with your fingertips on various meridian end-points on the face and upper body whilst saying the words that evoke traumatic memories or those that describe various emotions. We speak or say the words in our mind to tune into the negative thoughts.

This is necessary if we want to neutralise those feelings. Ignoring a problem, burying it or sweeping it under the carpet does not get rid of it. We need to recognise it in order to be able to erase the emotional charge it holds. So many of our behaviours and troubles are linked to episodes we might not remember clearly or even remember at all, yet the emotion associated with it is imprinted on us.

​What are meridians?

Around 2,000 years ago the Chinese discovered a complex system of energy circuits in the body, which they named 'meridians'. These are energy channels which transport life energy, also known as 'Qi', throughout the body, a bit like energy circuits, or ‘energy highways’ if you like. These channels need to be open in order for our energy to flow freely, but sometimes blockages occur, interrupting the energy flow and resulting in dis-ease. If these blockages are left, we can end up feeling unwell, both psychologically and physically.

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​How does EFT work?

​Physical pain and disease often have an underlying emotional root or connection. Negative emotions are believed to be a disruption in the body's energy system, a blockage in one or more of the ‘energy highways’. The exact mechanism of how EFT works is not yet known, but tapping on the meridian end-points clears the disruption, therefore clearing the energy channel and allowing the energy to flow freely.

​Fight-or-flight response

The fight or flight response is our body’s primitive survival reaction that prepares us to react quickly to life-threatening situations. It is an inborn mechanism that has been passed down to us over millions of years and there is nothing slow at all about this response; in fact it is so quick that it begins before we are even consciously aware of the danger (real or not) that our nervous system has picked up on.

​Our ancient ancestors had different types of stress to that which we encounter in our everyday lives today. In order to survive they may have had very real life-or-death situations in which they had to fight or escape, hence the name 'fight' (fight) or 'flight' (escape). During the fight-or-flight response the body goes into survival mode and every ounce of energy the body has goes towards handling the emergency. The heart beats faster, pumping blood to the limbs and muscles and leaving the parts not essential for survival (for example the digestive system). Ever wondered why you don't digest your food properly when tense or after an argument? This is because when in a fight or flight situation the blood in the digestive system is not needed at that moment, survival is more important. Our immune system shuts down, cortisol and adrenaline pumps throughout the body, glucose is released for energy, our pupils dilate. We are in emergency-mode.

The amygdala - Our internal smoke alarm

The amygdala, its name deriving from Greek for ‘almond’, is an almond-shaped set of neurons located in the brain. There are two, one in each brain hemisphere.

The amygdala is part of the limbic system, which is responsible for memory, emotions and survival instincts. The amygdala itself is responsible for the perception of emotions such as anger, fear and sadness and also helps to store memories of events as to be able to recognize similar ones in the future. Its job is to protect us from threats, a little like a smoke alarm, ready to alert and protect us.

When the amygdala is stimulated by stress it triggers the HPA (hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal) axis and hijacks the rational part of the brain. This happens in thousandths of a second, long before the part of the brain that reasons is able to.

Are you carrying a heavy weight on your shoulders?

Today we no longer live with the dangers of our ancient ancestors, however, other types of stress often surround us, and this stress, whilst it might not be a life-or-death situation, stimulates the amygdala and our primitive survival reaction nonetheless.

​Moreover, ‘modern-day’ stress can fill up an entire day if we let it, and our fight-or-flight response can end up constantly turned on.In addition, stressful, negative, or traumatic events of the past have left an imprint on our amygdala and so every time we find ourselves in a situation that reminds us of that past event, the amygdala is stimulated and alerts us of the threat, whether it is real or not.

The beauty of EFT is its access to the amygdala and the ability to interrupt the response.Essentially re-programming it.

During the EFT session we mentally recreate the memory of a traumatic or negative thought, sending the amygdala into alert mode, but by tapping on certain meridian points on our face and body we send signals that lower the alert threshold. We calm the amygdala and in a sense 'reset' it, and remove the emotion that was associated with that event.

As well as one-to-one sessions, I also offer group sessions as they can be fun, inspiring and a lovely way of experiencing EFT with others. The sessions can have a general theme (for example, skin problems, weight loss, food cravings, menopause, insomnia) or each participant can be free to work on her own individual issue in the time allocated. Session can be done in person or online in the comfort of your own home.Group sessions can be beneficial for several reasons:

Reduced cost because the fee is split between the people in the group.

'Borrowing benefits' - Even while tapping on someone else's issue, we can reduce our own stress levels.

Being able to share your burdens in a safe place with other women going through something similar or not, can be very therapeutic indeed.

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